Systems and methods for closed-loop surgical imaging optimization

Abstract

The disclosed technology relates to closed-loop medical imaging for a medical environment. Various embodiments provide for a surgical camera, such as an endoscopic camera, comprising one or more image sensors. The image sensors may be configured to capture multispectral image data including one or more images of biological tissue (e.g., surfaces), and may be specifically configured to capture imagery within a surgical environment. For some embodiments, different biological tissues may be visible when illuminated by different wavelengths of a multispectral light source. The wavelength setting for the multispectral light source may be determined based upon a first wavelength setting associated with a first set of multispectral image data and a second wavelength setting associated with a second set of multispectral image data.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A medical image processing system for medical software tools, comprising:
 an image stream output via a surgical camera; 
 a user interface comprising a keypad, keyboard, mouse or pointing device, or touchscreen interface, wherein said system stores annotations created by a user of said system to enable said user to store said annotations along with said image stream so that said annotations appear to overlay said image stream as viewed by said user; 
 a medical image display system comprising, a display selected from the group consisting of a plasma display, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display; 
 wherein said medical image display system displays surgery related images captured by a medical software tool stored historically in connection with spectroscopy assisted surgical procedures so that said system user may compare real life present time surgical conditions with prior in time historic surgical conditions for reference to enable said user to effect real time surgical decisions; 
 a light source sufficient to amplify said image stream perceivable by said camera, wherein said light source is of a particular wavelength within a range of desired wavelengths and wherein said particular wavelength is modulated to scan through a continuum of wavelengths from a lower wavelength to an upper wavelength; 
 wherein said scan of wavelengths is repeated until a wavelength is selected for observation of said image stream; and 
 wherein said medical image processing system stores a plurality of predetermined wavelengths, ranges of wavelengths, and combinations of wavelengths and intensities that are known to be optimal for visualizing a specific organ, tissue, or area of interest (AOI) and are provided as predetermined settings based on said user's real-time AOI; 
 a communication interface; and 
 a processing module comprising at least one processor, a non-transitory memory, and hardware, software, or firmware configured to compress and decompress image sensor data for display, further comprising edge detection algorithms and color detection algorithms; 
 wherein said algorithms determine a number of visible edges and a number of visible colors within multispectral image data that is displayed via a medical image display system. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface is further configured to retrieve previously stored images and compare the previously stored images to real-time multispectral image data during the procedure via the display monitor of the medical image display system. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the surgical camera is an endoscope or a laparoscope. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing module of the medical image processing system is further configured to receive the image stream from the surgical camera. 
     
     
       5. The medical image processing system of  claim 1 , further comprising of one or more additional processors, controllers, control modules, or other processing devices, such as a processor, wherein said system is configured to exchange data between the surgical camera system and a medical image display system by a wired or wireless communication link. 
     
     
       6. A method for operating medical software tools, comprising:
 receiving with a medical image processing system an image stream from a surgical camera system; the medical image processing system providing a user input device so that said user may annotate said image stream with conditions believed pertinent to said user for presentation as an overlay adapted for presentation over a medical image display system; 
 connecting with the medical image processing system a user interface comprising a keypad, keyboard, mouse or pointing device, or touchscreen interface—wherein a surgical camera system captures medical images transferred by a wired or wireless communication link to a medical image processing system for desired image processing, wherein the medical image processing system transmits a modulating wavelength setting to a light source system; 
 performing in combination with operation of the medical image processing system an additional operation of the surgical camera system with respect to the image stream; 
 combining all available video signals under control of the medical image processing system to generate an output of a surgical operation for presentation over the medical image display system; 
 providing a medical image display system under control of said medical image processing system comprising, a display selected from the group consisting of a plasma display, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, wherein said medical image display system displays historic medical procedure images obtained in connection with spectroscopy assisted surgical procedures to enable said user to make real time decisions based on prior historic conditions; and 
 providing a light source of a wavelength output varied from a lower wavelength to an upper wavelength, wherein said wavelength variation is repeated until a particular wavelength setting is determined for the procedure under consideration so that said medical image display system, under control of and responsive to said medical image processing system may facilitate surgical procedures being performed by a surgeon; and 
 storing, via said medical image processing system, a plurality of predetermined wavelengths, ranges of wavelengths, and combinations of wavelengths and intensities that are known to be optimal for visualizing a specific organ, tissue, or area of interest (AOI) and are provided as predetermined settings based on said user's real-time AOI. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6  wherein a first number of visible edges may be determined for a first image associated with a first wavelength setting, a second number of visible edges may be determined for a second image associated with a second wavelength setting, and a successive number of visible edges may be determined where in the number of edges for the different images associated with each wavelength setting may be compared to one another to determine a wavelength setting for the procedure under consideration. 
     
     
       8. A method according to  claim 7  wherein the image associated with the wavelength setting is the setting with the largest number of visible edges.